LONDON, ON - It was an intense matchup Friday night, with the Mustangs facing off against Waterloo for the first time this weekend. Still, they managed to pull through with an 86-77 win, the same night Mustangs Women's Basketball pays tribute to Mustangs Alumna Leslie Petter.  

The Mustangs were quick to rebound after losing the opening jump to Waterloo - scoring the game's first field goal, resulting in fast-paced, back-and-forth scoring between these two highly skilled teams. 

There was incredible defensive pressure from the Mustangs. They were neck-and-neck with Waterloo the entire game, with each quarter ending in equal points scored, except for the 3rd quarter, where the Mustangs took hold of the lead, scoring 9 points more than the Waterloo Warriors. Mustangs Women's Basketball Head Coach Nate McKibbon was proud of the collaborative effort from the team, noting that "we came out with great energy at halftime, and put a little bit of distance in... I thought it was a team effort". 

The top scorer of the game was once again Ariane Saumure (#5) with 21 points. However, Sarah Harvey, Mustangs wing/forward, scored an impressive 18 points coming off the bench. This was recognized by McKibbon, who noted her ability to score so efficiently off the bench, combined with her defensive skill, stood out as a critical factor in the game. In combination with the intense pressure the entire team held for the game, Harvey's energy was core to the success of last night's game. 

With the next game against this Waterloo team being 24 hours later, Harvey noted the importance of "realizing that when we win, we aren't that great, and when we lose we aren't that bad, just being humble, and tomorrow is a new day, and we have to come out strong like we did today."

Also in attendance at last night's game were some friends and family of Leslie Petter, who were there to honor her memory and legacy, ten years from her passing, and awarding this year's "The Leslie Petter Memorial Award." This award is dedicated to ensuring the "generosity and strength" that Leslie embodied continues and is encouraged within future Mustangs. This year's recipient is Ashley Wheeler, a Mustang currently in Teacher's College and doing her placement at Medway High School, the same school Leslie taught at.